Revealing Biases Against Obama

Many white people I speak with have a visceral reaction to Obama. Their faces crinkle up when even considering the idea of him being President. Yet when I ask them what policies of his they don’t like, I get the gaze of nothingness. Many of these same people can’t name the three branches of government.

So what’s the real reason for the near-hostile reaction?

Try this thought experiment: What percentage of white people who severely dislike Obama (for whatever reason) would feel comfortable with their daughter, under any circumstances, marrying a black guy?

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying that anyone who doesn’t like Obama is definitely making the entire decision based on race; that’s a severe overextension. What I’m saying is that if:

You “really” don’t like Obama, in an emotional sense, and…

You’d be highly adverse to having your daughter marry a black guy (regardless of who he is)…

…then you should re-evaluate your thoughts/feelings regarding Obama. In short, if both of the above are true you are likely making a significant portion of your decision based on race—not consciously, but subconsciously.

Don’t feel guilty about it. It’s quite natural to make these sorts of background-process decisions about risk and danger. It’s built into us. But it’s the job of our logic and reason to try and counteract these impulses when they are unfounded.